Platform on Shipbreaking challenges clean chit to 'Blue lady'

PTI|

Jul 25, 2007, 09.00 PM IST

0Comments

NEW DELHI: Platform on Shipbreaking, a consortium of labour and trade unions, today questioned the clean chit given by a committee of technical experts (CTE), constituted by the Supreme Court, for the entry of Norweigian ship Blue Lady into the Indian territorial waters.

Questioning the committee's report, the consortium alleged that permitting the ship to dock at Indian coast would prove disastrous as the vessel has huge contents of radioactive material.

Quoting a report submitted by the ship's project manager, the consortium said exposure to the radioactive substance would put the lives of the labour force working in the ship-wrecking industry into grave danger.

"The Americium-241 (radioactive substance) poses a significant risk if ingested or inhaled. It can stay in the body for decades and continue to expose the surrounding tissues to both and alpha and gamma radiation, increasing the risk of developing cancer," consortium's coordinator Gopal Krishna told a news conference.

He presented the copy of the report given by the project manager of the ship which said the fire detection system installed in vessel contain radio active subatance such as Americium 241 and the installation was kept unchanged and remained on-board.

Moreover, the report said the huge quantity of such material posed a high risk if it is handled without expertise and right procedures.

The matter is pending before the Supreme Court and is expected to come up for hearing on Thursday.

0Comments

Are you a Business Owner? Get Your Free Business Listing on Economic Times.